China Recovers One Satellite, Launches Another

by Stephen Clark | August 30, 2005 03:54pm ET

Chinese airspace was busy
Monday as the nation recovered and launched two separate return satellites
likely carrying a wide array of experiments, demonstrations, and reconnaissance
payloads for the nation's government, military, and research industries.

The capsules were part of
China's 30-year old FSW program that uses recoverable spacecraft to loft
material into orbit for temporary missions that range across a variety of
fields.

Coming back from space on
Monday morning was an FSW satellite launched on August 2 from the Jiuquan
launch center nestled in northwest China's Gobi desert. State media reported
the craft landed after its 27-day stint in orbit, marking the 20th successful
recovery in the history of the series.

Official reports indicate
that homecoming was followed in the afternoon hours by the liftoff of another
FSW satellite aboard a two-stage Long March 2D rocket from Jiuquan. According
to state-run news sources, the launcher delivered its cargo to the planned
orbit around Earth.

This flight is the 22nd
launch for the FSW program dating back to the mid-1970's, though the spacecraft
design has undergone several updates to allow for additional capability and
reliability.

"The satellite will
carry out a series of jobs on scientific research, land surveying, mapping, and
(technological) tests," People's Daily reported.

Such back-to-back missions
were believed to have been conducted in August and September of 2004, though
the reasoning behind the scheduling is unknown due to the secretive nature of
the Chinese space program.

The Long March family now
stands at 45 consecutive successful launches dating back to 1996, and China has
now launched variants of the booster 87 times over the past 35 years.

China will soon turn its
attention to the nation's second human spaceflight slated for October. During
that mission, a crew of two Chinese military pilots will embark on a voyage
that could last several days up to a week.